KickStarter Shadowgate remake - NOW AVAILABLE!

[felipepepe]

I also reacted to this. Beautiful art like that either deserves better animation, or at least the option to turn of animation (which is what I would prefer).

You misunderstand me, what I'm saying is that they showed us a video animation made in AE, not actual gameplay footage.

 

[Zed]

I also reacted to this. Beautiful art like that either deserves better animation, or at least the option to turn of animation (which is what I would prefer).

You misunderstand me, what I'm saying is that they showed us a video animation made in AE, not actual gameplay footage.

Oh. Well that's what I was hoping.

 

[kaizoku]

I'm from a pre-Shadowgate era, so even after watching a review video of an original SG game, I'm not convinced (the traumatizing SNES interface doesn't help on that).

My request is would it be possible for Zojoi, in one of the updates, to post a LP video or images, showing what exactly can we expect from gameplay.
If you have the interface done, it would be nice posting it too.

 

[Stereotypical Villain]

All I care about is if the Walk command will be translated as Gä again. They're clearly not sticking to the proper formulae if it's not.

 

[Kosmonaut]

So, no answer to felipepepe question? (By the way, yours is the most retarded nick name in the entire Codex).

 

[Jaesun]

He probably finally saw GD and ran the fuck away.

 

[Whisky]

Will you still be able to commit suicide by stabbing yourself with a fireplace poker?

This is important to me.

EDIT: Seriously though, Shadowgate was great! I remember playing it as a kid trying to find every possible way of dying.

 

[OtakuMan30]

OtakuMan30 could you answer this:

This will be a difficult project to do. Shadowgate was unforgiving and harsh on the player. It had dead ends and gameovers and I can’t imagine modern audiences tolerating too much of that. That was part of its beauty, yet it will be tempting to change much of the game. Still, I don’t say they cannot do it, and I admire that they are brave enough to take up the challenge.

Will this new project maintain this same difficulty? I didn't see any mention of the difficulty.

Question was from here: http://www.adventuregamers.com/forums/viewthread/999/ Another site you might want to visit.

Actually, I CAN answer that!

The punishing difficulty will still be present in SPADES! Instant death will be around every corner, and both new and experienced players are going to die...

...A LOT! I mean just look at how eager the Grim Reaper is to see you again after all these years!

But there is a feature that was present in the NES version that will also be made available in the new one too: a Hint System.

Furthermore, the Hint System has a name too:

"Master Yoricious Del Tramane: Practicioner, Visionary, and Seer"

...but you can call him Yorick for short.

At the start of the adventure, Lord Jair (that's you, the player, by the way) happens across Yorick (or to be more precise, his skull if you didn't see that one coming ) and takes him with him into the Castle Shadowgate. Yorick is able to provide hints to each room, if you want them, and his usefulness can be scaled to suit the player as well. An Easy setting will make him more cooperative and willing to get you through in one piece. Scaling to harder difficulties makes him more cryptic and possibly more stubborn (you'd be cranky too if after being a powerful master of arcane magick and sorcery, all that was left of you was your skull)

The Hint System was mentioned by Dave in an interview with Griffin McElroy over at Polygon.com (new game news website; I believe former Kotaku Editor-In-Chief Brian Crecente is one of the founders):

http://www.polygon.com/2012/10/26/3553810/shadowgate-remake

But wait, you ask, "How do you know what his full name is? Dave just called him Yorick!"

Good catch! The reason I know this is because Yorick is not new to the world of Shadowgate. Yorick has been a character in Shadowgate lore for over a decade now, but this is the first time he has appeared in one of the games. To my knowledge, the first documented appearance of him was on Page 5 of the comic book "Shadowgate Saga: Raven" which was meant to tie in with a new Shadowgate game that was going to be released after Shadowgate 64. Unfortunately, it was shelved when Kemco pulled the plug and funding due to declining sales of the Nintendo 64. The first issue of the comic along with some design art is hosted at the Zojoi website here:

http://www.zojoi.com/shadowgateart.htm

The artwork for the comic and designs are by artist John Watkins-Chow. You can find his webpage along with a gallery of some of his works here:

http://www.watkinschow.com/home.html

And now, without further ado... Heeeeeeere's Yorick!

Hope that answers your question

 

[Jaesun]

Thank you for the response on the difficulty. VERY happy that is still in.

 

[OtakuMan30]

OtakuMan30, I don't want to sound mean, but what's the current state on the project?

I ask this because the video showed some nice artwork, but it was clearly animated via After Effects, as was even shown by the guy operating it in the background... I honestly find that a bit misleading without at least a warning/note to the viewer; just how close to that can we expect the final game to look? Is that the actual artist/art style you're aiming for the game?

No worries, I'm happy to answer. It's what I'm here for!

The current state of the game is "Pre-Production". This is all REALLY early footage and examples; we aren't even at an Alpha stage yet, not even close. How good the Alpha is will likely depend on how well the campaign goes. Dave and Karl spent a good chunk of time with the others on the team to make sure that when we launched the campaign, we had something to SHOW so people knew we weren't all talk. Bigger studios like Double Fine Productions or Obsidian Entertainment might be able to get away with just pitching an idea without any work having been put into yet, but they're also well established studios with good track records and decent staff size; not to mention established clout on the part of Tim Schafer and Chris Avellone being some of the more recognized names in the industry.

We at Zojoi, however, are still a very small company and not even a year old since the company was founded in March, 2012. If people are gonna believe us when we say, "We're gonna bring Shadowgate back!" we need to have something to show that we mean it!

But don't think that anything you see now will be exactly like it is by the time the game is finished. There's going to be lots of tweaking and work involved to make the game look as nice as possible, and be tons of fun for game players.

Now...

As for the Art Style, YES! The art style is finalized.

We have Chris Cold on board as lead artist, who is digitally painting each and every room in Shadowgate. He's done a bang up job, and I personally really like his art style. (Just look at the makeover he gave Death over in my last post here!) If you want to see more of his work, you can check out his Deviant Art page here:

http://chriscold.deviantart.com/

And, if you want to see how he does it, you can get a first hand look for yourself...

...IF you found the Easter Egg hidden in the Pitch Video

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zojoi/shadowgate - Watch it again and see if you can find it. You will be well rewarded for your efforts.

 

[OtakuMan30]

I ask this because the video showed some nice artwork, but it was clearly animated via After Effects, as was even shown by the guy operating it in the background... I honestly find that a bit misleading without at least a warning/note to the viewer; just how close to that can we expect the final game to look? Is that the actual artist/art style you're aiming for the game?

I also reacted to this. Beautiful art like that either deserves better animation, or at least the option to turn of animation (which is what I would prefer).

Hmmm... "Option to Turn Off Animation"...

I'll forward that along to Dave and Karl! Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[OtakuMan30]

I'm from a pre-Shadowgate era, so even after watching a review video of an original SG game, I'm not convinced (the traumatizing SNES interface doesn't help on that).

My request is would it be possible for Zojoi, in one of the updates, to post a LP video or images, showing what exactly can we expect from gameplay.
If you have the interface done, it would be nice posting it too.

There will be news, updates, and extras to be released over the course of the campaign. If you want some help staying on top of it, my recommendations are:

1) Go to our KickStarter campaign page and click the "Remind Me" button underneath the Pitch Video. You'll need to have registered with KickStarter and be logged in, but once you turn on the "Remind Me" feature, an e-mail will be sent out to you whenever we post an update!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zojoi/shadowgate

2) Like us on Facebook! We have an official FB page where we're posting announcements regularly throughout the campaign. We'll be sharing updates, news articles from the gaming press, fan created works (a lot of people have made 3D models of Castle Shadowgate and/or remixed the NES soundtrack), and then some. Better yet, if you see something on there you really, really like, you can "Share" it with your other FB buddies which in turn spreads the word about the campaign, which then increases the odds of it succeeding, and you see where I'm going with this.

http://www.facebook.com/zojoigame

3) Follow us on Twitter! So you're out and about, away from your computer, and thinking, "I wonder how the Shadowgate KickStarter is doing? Are there any new updates?" Well, by following us on Twitter, you can set it to notify you via text or Mobile App to tell you when new updates are released (and see what chit chat we might be making with other video game personalities; I just saw Notch and Brian Fargo do an entire conversation over Twitter earlier today!) so you can stay on top of it all wherever you are. You can also Retweet anything you find cool to share with your friends and once again, you know where I'm going with this

http://twitter.com/zojoi

4) Sign up for the Zojoi newsletter! You can sign up at the Zojoi homepage, and will get notified by e-mail whenever anything big happens!

http://www.zojoi.com/

PHEW!

Okay, that's enough shameless self-promotion for now. I don't want to go overboard.

Although, if you do want to see something cool, may I suggest checking out our first Update that just went up today! Our composer, Rich Douglas, demonstrates and goes over some of the behind the scenes work on Shadowgate's Sound Design!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zojoi/shadowgate/posts/336423

 

[OtakuMan30]

All I care about is if the Walk command will be translated as Gä again. They're clearly not sticking to the proper formulae if it's not.

Ahh yes, the Swedish NES version. I am well aware of this.

Unfortunately, the current projected development of the game will only include an English version FOR NOW. IF we can get enough funds to go into Stretch Funding, then we'll definitely be adding multi-language support. Currently, we don't have any foreign language translators on staff, and we'd have to hire someone to do the translations which isn't part of the $120,000 goal/budget.

But don't despair. If things go well, multi-language support will likely be one of the first stretch goals we add. AND, I made sure to tell Dave and Karl MONTHS ago when we were still doing pre-planning and brainstorming that if we do multi-language support, Swedish MUST be included as an option, no matter what.

 

[OtakuMan30]

Will you still be able to commit suicide by stabbing yourself with a fireplace poker?

This is important to me.

EDIT: Seriously though, Shadowgate was great! I remember playing it as a kid trying to find every possible way of dying.

I can't see any reason why not.

 

[Zed]

Sweet update.
Do you know what program Rich is using when he's making music (which I assume is the problem we see him play the song with in the video)?

A swedish language version would be awesome.

 

[felipepepe]

The current state of the game is "Pre-Production". This is all REALLY early footage and examples; we aren't even at an Alpha stage yet, not even close.

We at Zojoi, however, are still a very small company and not even a year old since the company was founded in March, 2012. If people are gonna believe us when we say, "We're gonna bring Shadowgate back!" we need to have something to show that we mean it!

That's what I find misleading, you pretend to show the game, show "how serious you're about it", but there is no game, all you're showing is a video animation... It can be a harmless marketing move, but it can also mean you guys don't have a single line of code yet...

By the way, yours is the most retarded nick name in the entire Codex

But it's basically my real name...

Regardless, I do have a problem that half the codex tags me wrong, maybe I should really change it

 

[Kosmonaut]

In spanish sound very corny: name + shortened name. It's like the nickname a 5 year old would choose.

 

[felipepepe]

In spanish sound very corny: name + shortened name. It's like the nickname a 5 year old would choose.

That's the problem, Pepe is a spanish nickname, but it's also my italian last name...

 

[made]

Another proof that epic symphonic orchestration doesn't hold a candle to chiptunes. GFX look sweet tho.

 

[Stereotypical Villain]

Ahh yes, the Swedish NES version. I am well aware of this.

Unfortunately, the current projected development of the game will only include an English version FOR NOW. IF we can get enough funds to go into Stretch Funding, then we'll definitely be adding multi-language support. Currently, we don't have any foreign language translators on staff, and we'd have to hire someone to do the translations which isn't part of the $120,000 goal/budget.

But don't despair. If things go well, multi-language support will likely be one of the first stretch goals we add. AND, I made sure to tell Dave and Karl MONTHS ago when we were still doing pre-planning and brainstorming that if we do multi-language support, Swedish MUST be included as an option, no matter what.

I'll do it for free. Not only that but I'll bring the dedication one would expect from a man of my caliber.

Prisoner of Ice.

PS. I fucking loved Shadowgate, Deja Vu and Uninvited. I hope you manage to get things rolling again.

 

[Jaesun]

That's what I find misleading, you pretend to show the game, show "how serious you're about it", but there is no game, all you're showing is a video animation... It can be a harmless marketing move, but it can also mean you guys don't have a single line of code yet...

The stuff from the video were mock-up's of the way they probably want the game to look like. Again, this is a pitch video (just Like Obsidian's PE which had NO work at all done on it yet). They provide information on the game they are wanting to make. If the information provided is something you wish to back then you back it. If not then possibly ask more info or just decide it is not a project for you.

 

[OtakuMan30]

The current state of the game is "Pre-Production". This is all REALLY early footage and examples; we aren't even at an Alpha stage yet, not even close.

We at Zojoi, however, are still a very small company and not even a year old since the company was founded in March, 2012. If people are gonna believe us when we say, "We're gonna bring Shadowgate back!" we need to have something to show that we mean it!

That's what I find misleading, you pretend to show the game, show "how serious you're about it", but there is no game, all you're showing is a video animation... It can be a harmless marketing move, but it can also mean you guys don't have a single line of code yet...

Ahhh, I see.

Well, if it makes you feel any better, Zojoi DOES already have games out and for sale as of right now.

You can get remastered versions of the first three Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective video mysteries on iTunes for Ipad2 & Ipad3, as well as for PC & Mac over Desura. We're looking to get the other 6 mysteries out later too, but that as well as getting them on other platforms / Marketplaces (especially Android) will likely depend heavily on this campaign.

So if the concern is whether or not Zojoi can make games, then this should hopefully ease your nerves.

And oohhhh, I can go into a lot more about the Sherlock games if you want too. But that will have to wait until later. I got to step out and get some errands done before the storm ravaging the East Coast reaches me.

 

[OtakuMan30]

Another proof that epic symphonic orchestration doesn't hold a candle to chiptunes. GFX look sweet tho.

Good thing you have the option to choose one or the other. That way, audiophiles on all sides are happy!

 

[Jarpie]

J_C Matt interviews Dave Marsh on Shadowgate, his interview starts at about 18:49:

 

[udm]

Latest update: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zojoi/shadowgate/posts/338043?ref=activity

Seek Ye the Black Axe!

Update #2 · Oct. 30, 2012

We thought we would do a fun update before Hurricane Sandy knocks on our front door… The Black Axe Update! What was the Black Axe, you say? Well, in the earliest release of Shadowgate, a mysterious arrow shot across the Grand Hallway and wedged itself into the wall. A message scrawled on an attached scroll read, “Seek Ye the Black Axe.” This puzzle never made it into the final game as there just wasn't enough room on the floppy.

Was it a weapon of untold power for good or an evil creation of the damned? How can you find out? We're glad you asked! If we get at least 1000 likes on the Zojoi Facebook page, we will ensure that this unreleased quest/puzzle makes it into the new game!